It
was, he said, possible that he might hasten the attainment of
this object by conferring personally with the Secession
leaders. He should frankly tell them that to all appearances
their cause was desperate; that their Armies were beaten in
all quarters; and that the time had arrived when they ought
to come to some arrangement, which would put an end to a
state of affairs ruinous to themselves and intolerable to
Europe. It was useless to expect any countenance from the
European Powers. Those Powers could but act on their avowed
principles. They would recognize any people which
established its independence, but they could not encourage
the prolongation of a fruitless struggle.
"Monsieur Mercier thought that if the Confederates were very
much discouraged by their recent reverses, such language from
the Minister of a great European Power might be a knock-down
blow ('Coup d'assommoir' was the expression he used) to them.
It might induce them to come to terms with the North. At all
events it might lead to an Armistice, under which trade might
be immediately resumed. He had (he told me) mentioned to Mr.
Seward his notion of using this language, and had added that
of course as a Minister accredited to the United States, and
visiting Richmond with the consent of the United States
Government, he could not speak to the Southern men of any
other terms for ending the War than a return to the Union.
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